Stubborn Chirp Stays With RHD

Written by Pio Sioa
Sunday, 27 April 2008
Wow! Talk about an issue that refuses to die! What’s that favourite quote again…..“We can hide the little chicklet but we cannot hide the little chirps.” The call by MP Aeau Peniamina for the Head of State not to sign the RHD legislation is no little chirp though. The Falealupo MP has in fact opened up a new battlefront, and probably new hope, for the bitterly disappointed protesters of the Right Hand Drive road switch to continue the fight. When a taxi driver was asked why he removed a RHD protest sticker from his car he reacted with a sad voice …..“What’s the point, all the walking and sitting in the hot sun was a waste of time,” he said. While there was defeat in the voice there was still a lot of defiance left in the tone of the reaction and this is what MP Aeau is worried about. The protesters at least are in a depressed state of mind and maybe highly prone to acts of retaliation despite the call for calm. Pressure however has now shifted to the Head of State. To sign or not to sign is a huge grapple now before His Highness. Whatever he decides, the issue appears certain to continue on to the 2011 elections. The formation of the new political party that we will be in a position to learn more about today, will see to it that the issue is kept alive in the public eye, all the way to the general elections. The move is an obvious one. The RHD protesters have set up an ideal platform of widespread dissension for the opposition MPs to form a new beginning. The SDUP and all the other opposition off shoots in our political make up, have tried and failed to be effective in their role as Government watchdogs in Parliament. It is time for a fresh new start. The PASS protesters have set up a solid platform of disillusionment against the Government initiative, it is a giftwrapped environment for the new party to take advantage of and to hit the political ground running. The timing too should be heartily applauded. The bottled up emotions of the RHD protesters needs an outlet and throwing support behind the new party is the best emotional release valve for the downhearted. The new development is a big positive for a democracy that revolves largely around our strong culture and religious faith. Emphasis on the culture and traditional respect MP Aeau rightfully reminded our insensitive police about is paramount. Why our police felt obligated to resort to riot gears says a lot about the disturbing trend of ‘foreign opinion” starting to influence cultural judgment and appreciation in our police force. How often has the authority of the staff, swish and the gift of traditional oratory saved our police from tight spots in a village situation? The late Commissioner of Police, Galuvao Tanielu, once said that the traditional authority of the village chiefs and orators is invaluable to the police. “We are too few to go around the whole country so we have to rely heavily on the traditional rule of chiefs and orators to help us out,” Galuvao once admitted. Where has that pearl of wisdom disappeared to in this day and age of policing work in our culturally sensitive Samoa? Has it disappeared with the Minister of Police threating to call in the police on a protester for daring to speak up against the Scientologists, when they muscled their way into the country behind the Minister’s lavalava? Maybe it is time the Government rethink its stance against ‘foreign influences’ that threatens the cultural fabric that holds our strong and stable democracy together. We should do well to weigh up the strings attached by foreigners to their aid assitance against the stability our culture provides for Samoa. Police should confine themselves to criminal activities rather than assert its authority on issues that we have a perfectly tuned system of culture to handle it more efficiently and peacefully. Samoans are explosive people and are unfortunately easily sparked into crossing the boundary of sanity and insanity that defies logic. If the culture of respect has been successful all these years in dealing with the problem, why tamper with it? Leave it alone. Do not say how high when ‘foreign influences’ tell us to jump. The new political party born today may have been given a perfect launching pad by the RHD protesters, but they should not be deluded by the ‘morning tide.’ There are some very thorny issues they will need to overcome to be effective. One is looking for a legitimate leader. Otherwise, all is good in this new turn of events in our solid and stable democracy. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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